Got a Royal Mail text asking you to pay a fee?
Scam texts pretending to be Royal Mail are common. They usually say a parcel is on hold and ask you to pay a small fee through a link. Paste yours below to check it.
What this scam usually looks like
Text from an unknown numberRoyal Mail: Your parcel is on hold due to an unpaid shipping fee of £1.45. Pay now to avoid return: royalmail-redeliver-uk.com
Red flags
- A small fee (often around £1–£3) to “release” or redeliver a parcel
- A link to a web address that isn't royalmail.com
- Pressure: pay today or the parcel goes back
- It arrived from a normal mobile number
What to do
- Don't click the link or enter card details.
- Check any real parcel yourself at royalmail.com/track-your-item using the tracking number from the sender.
- Report it to Royal Mail at reportascam@royalmail.com, and forward the text to 7726 for free.
- If you've lost money, call your bank straight away, then report it to Report Fraud (formerly Action Fraud) at reportfraud.police.uk or on 0300 123 2040.
Questions
Does Royal Mail ever text about fees?
Treat any text asking you to pay through a link with suspicion. Royal Mail says not to click the link or enter details in texts like this, and to check tracking on its own website.
I already paid. What now?
Call your bank straight away using the number on the back of your card, so they can try to stop the payment and block your card.
Worried about your mum or dad?
We're building KinAlert for families: they forward anything odd to one WhatsApp number, and you get a text if it's a scam. Join the waitlist.